Red Bank restaurant may become a recreational marijuana dispensary
RED BANK - The borough could be getting its first recreational cannabis store after the planning board unanimously approved a marijuana dispensary that would potentially take over the China Moon restaurant in the Crate’s Liquor Store strip mall on Bridge Avenue.
A condition of the board’s approval was that it change its name, which is currently listed as the Red Bank Fire Company LLC.
The cannabis retailer received approval for a conditional license by the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission on July 13, 2022. The letter, which specifies that the business must receive municipal approval before converting the conditional license into an annual license, is addressed to Sergio Ribeiro, a Portuguese entrepreneur.
Christopher Weidling, a cannabis consultant who also owns a less-than-5% stake in the business, said the company was “tentatively hopeful we can open in 2023.”
More Red Bank cannabis: Borough OKs weed warehouse and nursery, but no marijuana dispensary
Weidling, who is the consultant for a handful of other cannabis businesses applying for licenses in New Jersey, said the store would be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There would be five employees and two unarmed security guards on every shift.
Since cannabis is still illegal on the federal level, many marijuana businesses operate in cash. Weidling said the proposed retail store would be able to take debit and credit transactions with a workaround.
“If you went into a store, and were charged $95.60,” Weidling said. “They round you up to $100 and they give you back $4.40. It’s a way for them to fit into the ATM transaction. So, it’s always a $20 increment.”
Will Congress OK legal weed? The latest on federal marijuana legalization
Board engineer Edward Herrman asked about the smell.
“I don’t think the smell, noise mitigations are particularly acute issues,” Weidling said. “Everything’s in a sealed package, so there should be no smell issues.”
Red hot Red Bank: See hundreds of apartments, condos planned for the borough, and what's already built
Weidling said the store would not have a lounge area and customers would not be allowed to taste or see the product before hand.
“We won’t be throwing out any actual cannabis product. There won’t be any controlled substance in the waste,” Weidling said.
He added that any unsold cannabis products would be sent back to the producers, who would dispose of it following state guidelines.
How does NJ legal weed get made? The inside story of how the business operates
Board member Barbara Boas asked about customer queues.
Weidling said the store could hold 10 to 12 customers inside and if a long queue forms outside, the store would set up ropes and encourage customers to preorder with appointments.
“I think the perception because people probably drive by the big store on Route 35, which frequently has a line outside of it," Weidling said, referring to the AYR New Jersey Dispensary in Eatontown. "We have to understand right now, there’s only 29 stores open in New Jersey and they’re collectively doing $800 million in revenue. Six to nine months from now, when there’s 75 to 100 stores in New Jersey, the demand at any one particular store will go way down.”
He said he anticipates lines in a first few weeks due to its novelty, but said the excitement would die down afterward.
After the planning board’s approval, Weidling said the company would have to go back to the state, where the owners would be fingerprinted and their backgrounds checked.
The approval of the planning board’s first cannabis retail store comes as the borough council debates limiting licenses from an unlimited number to only two retail cannabis licenses.
Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ legal weed: Red Bank OKs recreational marijuana dispensary
